This cookie shop is closed!

I am so over cookies! I baked cookies for 2 1/2 days and now I'm thinking if I ever bake another cookie it will be way too soon! I say this now, however if the cookies I baked make it in one piece to Texas I will most likely start this new tradition of doing so every year. That is until the year we have a baby and I am much too tired to complete the task that year...fingers crossed that will be next year! However, since this was my first year to make an insane amount of cookies I will say it went over extremely well! There were only two batches of cookie dough that I made that I was not crazy about! As much as I enjoy a sip of eggnog during the holiday season I did not enjoy the eggnog cookies I baked. Perhaps this is the reason why I forgot to wrap them last night and into the trash they had to go this morning. I'm also not fond of the M&M cookie recipe I made this morning. The cookies came out much thinner and not as sturdy as I had hoped for. I did enjoy the Mexican wedding cookies, and know for a fact these will be made every Christmas if not at least once or twice during the year.



Here are my cookies all baked up and some still cooling! Bryan came home and called me crazy! Funny thing is at this point I was feeling rather nutty! My back and legs were hurting and I was just ready to sit down and relax!



And here they are packed and ready to ship! Sadly my bunch of cookies only made 4 really good containers of cookies! I had planed on making at least 2 more boxes but that didn't happen. I cringe thinking if I want to do more boxes next year I will have to double my recipes!

Well, as you can imagine I am over cookies so for the next 9 days I will attempt to find recipes that aren't cookies! Today I'm sharing with you some super cute Tree cakes! These actually might find their way to our Christmas Dinner! I saw these a few years ago and thought they were really cute, but at the time I wasn't that into baking. I specifically hunted these down today because I thought it would be a fun project for the kids! How cute would it be for them each to decorate their own little "tree" and best of all I can decorate Bryan's and mine and dodge the sugar fest the kids have created on sugar cookies in past years!


Sparkling Tree Cakes


Photo via Kraftfoods

Cookie Swap recipes

I know I know I've been gone for two days. I've had so much going on these past two days that by the time I get to blogging my eyes are just glazed over...as they pretty much are now, but since I owe you guys three recipes here I sit! I did my share of baking this weekend for a small get together of wives in my husband's command. It ended up being tons of fun, and there was plenty of cookies, food, and laughter. I have to say I really enjoyed this little gathering, and hope some great friendships form from this! YAY for non forced gatherings! Anyway since this little gathering was full of yummy food I decided today's post would be dedicated to three of the yummy things we had!

The first recipe is a yummy cheese platter a friend made. It looked and smelled so yummy, but I was a little weary of it! Let me tell you when I finally tasted this thing it was amazing! I can't wait to make it on my own!

Marinated Cheese


Photo via Mylifetime

Yummy recipe number two was actually something I had tried at another friends house! It's called Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes! These were so yummy and very easy to make. I have to admit coring the tomato took some effort but once that was down mixing a little bit of this and a little bit of that came together to form something extremely yummy and pretty looking! When you have a party with a bunch of women presentation is everything and this certainly "fit the bill."



BLT Bites


photo via Taste of Home

And finally my cookie of choice for this little cookie swap. I made Turtle Tassies. Bryan said they were more like candy, however with the outside made out of sugar cookies I figured it was cookie enough! It was also totally different then anything else I knew people would bring. It took a little effort to get the bottom to spread out but once I floured my fingers and went to work it spread out effortless! I also received an amazing complement yesterday when I set them out! One of the girls asked if they were store bought



Turtle Tassies




I opted on half of a pecan on top of my cookies instead of a bunch of chopped up ones. I only did this because I couldn't find chopped pecans and since I had to make double the recipe I didn't want to spend a lot of time chopping pecans. I do think a bunch of pecan on top look much better, but if you decide to go the easy route like I did it still looks great!

My little Angel

All week long I have been awaiting the arrival of my special Christmas ornament I had made for Bryanna. A few weeks back I was reading on of the many blogs I read about a month who lost her baby girl to Leukemia. In this particular entry she talked about visiting a craft fair and running across this special ornament. She was gracious enough to post the info so that people could contact the lady who makes them. I sat on it for a few days, and finally emailed her asking if she would make one for me. She was out of the ones she had premade so she had to knit another one just for us. It took all of a week for her to make it, and finally it was in the mail. You must understand that I have searched the internet for months looking for the perfect ornament. Our baby girl deserved her very first Ornament. When I saw this one I knew it was perfect!



the little tag reads "Bless this baby"



Aren't her wings beautiful! The tag on the bottom says "Bryanna 2/10/09" It truly is perfect! I almost hate having to put it away when Christmas is over.

Anyway on to today's recipe. Well, I should mention today's recipe isn't really a recipe at all. It's more of an idea...a brilliant idea if you ask me! With all the holiday parties going around I though I would mention this! I first ran across the idea of a Hot Chocolate Bar a few months back. I bookmarked it for future reference and have thought about it ever since! Seriously it's kind of pathetic but I would have never thought of the idea of setting out different toppings for hot chocolate! I wouldn't have even thought to offer hot chocolate at an adult party! But it makes sense and I love it!

Hot Chocolate Bar


Photo by Busy Bee Lifestyle

On a chilly night like tonight it makes me wish I had a cup of hot chocolate with a shot of Bailey's too!

busy busy busy me!

Today's post is just a quick one! I am busy getting my house cleaned for the sitter coming over tonight. Bryan's command is having a Christmas party! I'm excited because it's a night away from the kids and they are usually pretty fun, but at the same time bummed because it's Kobe's 9th birthday and we wont be home for it. It seems as though Bryan's command had it out for the kids this year! His military ball fell on Anthony's birthday so it was kinda funny hearing the Christmas party would be on Kobe's. Anyway this morning while cleaning I took a break and made some cupcakes for Kobe. Nothing really too special just a box of funfetti cupcakes, but they are so yummy and moist it was a must!

Now on to today's recipe! This morning when I opened my inbox I had an email from Pillsbury. A few days ago I signed up for their 12 day's of Christmas email, and today was the first one. I have to say I already have all my stuff for baking this month, but I will have to run out and buy the ingredients for these cookies to make with the kids! SHHH Don't tell Bryan I'm buying more baking stuff! One day I swear baking is going to make us some money instead of costing us so much!



Reindeer Cookies

An Angel and some cookie

As I mentioned I wasn't really looking forward to this Christmas, but I'm trying my hardest to put on a brave face and carry on. This year I bought the biggest Christmas Tree I have ever had. Bryan said it's pretty close to 8 feet...this means while decorating I had to stand on a step stool! Also as mentioned in a previous post I bought the Christmas tree angel I saw that I just had to have. She was perfect in just about every way. She reminds me of the willow tree angels which I just love, and her wings are long and beautiful. She isn't flashy, just everything I imagine an angel to look like. She also has Bethlehem on her skirt and a tiny little manger scene right at the bottom...she screams perfection. Here she is for you to see in all her beautiful glory.



Now that I have bragged about my beautiful angel let me take a moment to brag about today's recipe. I have mentioned how I am sending out cookies to our families. Well, I had run across a recipe that I wanted to try out prior to baking up holiday cookies to see how well it would travel. Well, last weekend we were invited to a Christmas party and I knew it was the perfect time to try it out! I made up a batch of these cookies...well more like 6 dozen, and they were amazing! I was really happy with how they came out and tasted, and best of all they will travel just fine! It was my first experience with thumbprint cookies but for my first time I will say they came out beautiful! Bryan kept commenting on how they look like they came out of a book (thanks honey)! Anyway, I can't wait to bake up another batch and keep some at home for us this time as well!


Strawberry Cream Cookies

Raspberry Poinsettia Blossoms

Raspberry Poinsettia Blossoms



My recipe for today is these little beauties. I ran across them last year in my Betty Crocker Christmas cookie book I picked up. Every now and then as I'm standing in the check out line at the grocery store these little books strike my interest. I'm sure Bryan will tell you that lately that has been alot. Actually last weekend when he picked up the book for me he mumbled "this is what my life has become." Yes honey yes it has, but you enjoy the cookies as well!

Anyway these cookies have me on edge because in my mind they are probably much harder then they actually are. I do know that once they are completely they will make me giddy because lets face it, every time I make something and it's done I get a little giddy! Maybe it's because I'm beyond amazed I'm actually good at this baking stuff, or maybe its because it brings some joy to my life. Most likely it's a little of both! I will be sure to post pictures of these once completed! I can't wait to see how they turn out! My baking day begins tomorrow so I will soon have lots of pictures for you guys!

It's Christmas Time!

I realized I haven't posted in over a month! Where has time gone! I have been busy running around first it was putting together Thanksgiving which came out of nowhere this year, and now we are 18 days away from Christmas. We will soon be approaching the end of one year and the beginning of a new year. I pray that 2010 will bring us a better year. I pray that we will meet our forever baby in 2010. The holiday season has me a little down, but I'm trying to prepare things to get me into the spirit. Yesterday our tree went up, and today I bought the angel that I have been wanting since I first saw it. Our tree is almost complete I'm just waiting for Bryanna's ornament to come in the mail.

Anyway this week will start my crazy week of baking. I have decided to send home cookie care packages to both my parent's and Bryan's parents as well. Tomorrow I will shop for ingredients and Wednesday and Thursday will be my baking days! I will be extremely busy this week, but luckily it seems as if the weather will be perfect for staying in and baking! I have decided that in order to get a post in daily I will begin posting a recipe from here until Christmas Eve. One day I may post a cookie recipe, the next could be a cake or even a candy recipe. I do this not only to motive myself but hopefully to also inspire some of my fellow bakers out there!

Today's recipe is a cookie recipe! I made snickerdoodles for Thanksgiving, and they came out amazing! Snickerdoodles have always been my favorite cookie, but I never attempted to make them! As easy and as yummy as these were I will make them over and over again! (Click on cookie title for recipe)

Soft Snickerdoodle Cookie